Simple delivery is awful

[jezzagold]

I list a few things on ebay occasionally, but this new simple delivery is just rubbish for sellers. It assumes that ebay actually know the size and weight of items And that everyone can easily get to Evri or other courier services easily. Why did they have to stop the seller from deciding how to post items? Put me right off bothering to use Ebay.

[infohelps]

Try the thread "No longer selling due to Simple Delivery" by Rugbyguy1960    This thread has been going since 31st March 2025, has 9142 replies and 458 pages!  I think you might find it interesting.  

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-Central/NO-LONGER-SELLING-DUE-TO-SIMPLE-DELIVERY/td-p/7813888...

[punkwroc77]

I could be completely wrong but judging by your ID you sell Records from Scotland ?...Anyway the point I want to make is Simple Delivery forces the use of Evri. Evri whilst they will accept Records (Vinyl Records) for sending they exempt them from loss or damage compensation. In short sending Lp's or Singles with Evri via Ebay's simple Delivery is an "at your own risk" situation. 

Added to that the fact that only items valued at £20 or less should be sent with Evri makes it a mystery why Ebay would go into partnership with the worst courier company on the planet ?.

Why are Ebay therefore forcing the use of a courier company which takes no responsibility for the goods it accepts for transit ?.

[sml192]

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@punkwroc77 wrote:

I could be completely wrong but judging by your ID you sell Records from Scotland ?...Anyway the point I want to make is Simple Delivery forces the use of Evri. Evri whilst they will accept Records (Vinyl Records) for sending they exempt them from loss or damage compensation. In short sending Lp's or Singles with Evri via Ebay's simple Delivery is an "at your own risk" situation. 

Added to that the fact that only items valued at £20 or less should be sent with Evri makes it a mystery why Ebay would go into partnership with the worst courier company on the planet ?.

Why are Ebay therefore forcing the use of a courier company which takes no responsibility for the goods it accepts for transit ?.

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Under the terms for Simple Delivery compensation/protection against loss or damage in transit is provided by eBay not the carrier, so that part of Evri's terms is not relevant.  Items are covered for their full value provided they are eligible for Simple Delivery (Buy it now or auction start price of £750 or less and not a prohibited item). 

[books1ecb]

General reply to insurance.

I use Royal Mail Tracked 48 as it offers £150 insurance.  For higher
values up to £2500 I use Special Delivery, which is an excellent service
for its price. It is an easy claims system to use, as long as you have
credible evidence; and it is always sensible to photograph expensive
shipments.

SD does not allow access to Special Delivery, and it is unclear if a
claim can be made to Royal Mail for SD labels. I would not trust EBAY's
protection service as it is opaque, and it is unclear how to use it.

From what I have read EBAY's claims process seems to be an automated
one, unlike Royal Mail which is human based

[mechman61]

Hi, yes I used to think evri were the worst company possible but ebay and overtaken them, at least i get a reply in a reasonable time when something goes wrong with evri.
no i,m not in scotland. South wales selling plumbing and golf stuff.
this thread will go on until ebay listen and cancel SD then start providing acceptable customer service because they dont know the meaning of it.

[chutch1971]

Well said that man, SD is pretty much the worst thing I have seen a company introduce, but eBay don’t want to lose face by admitting they have monumentally screwed up…….but everyone including eBay know that’s the truth, and the truth ALWAYS comes out at some point

[*devils.advocate*]

I do have to laugh at the number of people/sellers who complain about SD when it's a problem of their own making.

[1902elder]

Explain why it is a problem of own making. Ebay introduced it as a revenue stream. Sellers had no input.

[*devils.advocate*]

Explain why it is a problem of own making …..

I’m surprised it needs explaining - the answer is in just about every, if not all, threads concerning Simple Delivery (SD).

There are a number of sellers who do not need to use SD but continue to choose to do so - and then have the audacity to complain about having to use it.

That situation is of their own making.

Have a good day.

[books1ecb]

SD is compulsory - there is no choice.

[tressygirl]

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@books1ecb wrote:

This must the longest thread on EBAY ever.

Two recent real examples. Customer ordered two items but separate checkouts. Normally I would combine them and buy a single postage label. EBAY however auto-issues 2 labels to rip off our customers.

Thankfully one was listed pre SD rip off, so I simply refunded the postage charge for that one and sent both with EBAY's SD label. Lucky!

Next day same again different customer - managed to get them to make them COLLECT so I could refund the labels, and delivered them for free as they lived on my shopping route. Again extra work and complexity for sellers, but at least it meant this customer was not also ripped off by SD.

Good Customer Service is not longer an EBAY priority

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[tressygirl]

Apologies   no idea what happened when I tried to reply to one of your posts and I must have just touched on Reply , please Ignore my post above.  

I was trying to say this....

 wrote: 

Thankfully one was listed pre SD rip off, so I simply refunded the postage charge for that one and sent both with EBAY's SD label. Lucky!

Combining postage is still an issue with Simple Delivery there's no denying that,  but you personally,  do not have to refund any unused SD postage.

For  SD labels once generated but not used refunds are made as follows:

• If you selected 'Buyer pays’ when you created the listing, your buyer will automatically be refunded for any Simple Delivery label that isn’t used after 30 days
   

  • If you selected ‘Seller pays’ and offered free postage on your listing, you'll need to fill out the Request a refund for Simple Delivery form for the label that wasn’t used. Make sure to send your req...

    Sorry, again for the confusion,  my bad !   

    @books1ecb

    😐

@books1ecb

@books1ecb

[books1ecb]

Thank you. I was aware of the complex refund process - but it should not
be required. I usually use Seller Pays, but then use the opportunity to
determine the buyers actual needs, and combine lots as required, or I
also deliver locally for free. I then issue postal refunds immediately -
it is a clear and transparent process that is very understandable to the
buyer. Using SD I have to apply for the refund, and when (if) I get it
after 14 days I can issue the postage refund; that is not reasonable for
either buyer or seller.

A buyers needs can only be determined once they have completed all
purchases, and there has been an opportunity to discuss their shipping
requirements, and to advise them of other items that may of interest.
Offering a postage discount at that point is a powerful selling tool,
but that cannot be done anymore as the SD postage element cannot be
removed from the offer price.

I have yet to see a single refund using the claim form - there must be
an enormous backlog

All of this complexity is wholly due to to EBAY's simplistic assumption
that each and every item sold must be shipped individually using a
minimal array of postal services.

[lucy_farmer]

'SD is compulsory - there is no choice.'

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(D.A. is trying to be polite and not get a rocket here for going 'off topic'. 'fraid I've stopped caring about that!)

Going onto a business account gets rid of the neccessity of using S.D.

The comment he was replying to is a seller who really ought to be on a business account, but isn't....

This seller is selling golfing stuff  :OK, benefit of the doubt, this all may be bits being passed on from his hobby. That's fair enough.

And he may well have a wife/daughter who buys, then changes her mind about lots of footwear and wants to sell those on (brand new) as well.....okay...... (though her feet do seem to be several different sizes?)

But it's very difficult to see how anybody can have loads and loads of brand new plumbing spares just 'hanging around the house' as personal possessions.

Because 'personal possessions' are what private selling accounts are for.....

(sellers like this one are going to be the ones that HMRC will be having closer looks at, once all the figures arrive, and the A.I. corrolates them to what's actually been sold. 

Most of the worried, honest private sellers generally won't be looked at, because they're not selling loads of obvious, brand new, multiples of stuff)

[mache6930]

You might allready know this but some may not..if your trying to get a call
back from an agent and your typing in the automated chat box ...just type
in agent and they will ask if you want a callback just type yes and it will
tell you how long before you get a callback they are pretty helpfull if you
can get to talk to someone..thnx

[mechman61]

>From the horse,s mouth , business or private , it makes no difference whatsoever to recording and reporting because once you reach the threshold, sales are automatically reported, even my personal items which i may have had for 10-15 years are classed as profit.
Ebay has been half my income for years and declared, so no i,m not worried about hmrc.
I sell 1 to 6 items a month, hardly a thriving business.

[pegr-834437]

Yet still a business, forcing people to pay a bpf and not accepting returns, you are breaking the law by misrepresentation too. It doesnt matter if you are a great business or a bad one you still shouldnt be breaking the law then complain about bad customer service from others.

[mechman61]

I am not forcing anyone to pay anything, thats ebays frequent moronic system changes, i accept returns if not as described but all my items are as described.
If someone makes a mistake and is honest about it, no problem, if someone is dishonest and abuses ebays complete lack of customer service for sellers then they get both barrels.
You can have no idea of the hours and hours I spend giving potential buyers free advice on my technical items, i,m sure you have already looked at my feedback. Enough said

[pegr-834437]

You are forcing them to pay as you are on the incorrect account, you should be a business. You have already said you are just a bad business. Again returns should be on as youre a business. Its a joke that eBay allow people to get away with it but then for them to complain about bad customer service when they are breaking the law is laughable.

[mechman61]

So are you saying that ebay actually provide acceptable customer service to a business account holder,, I dont believe it. They dont know the meaning of customer service.